Nearly 13 years after its inception in Denton, Centro-matic remains one of the most beloved bands in North Texas. Even frontman Will Johnson seems a little surprised at the devotion of fans and fellow musicians in the area.
Photos by JASON JANIK/Special Contributor
Will Johnson is secretive about the next musical concoction he's brewing at the Echo Lab recording studio in Argyle.
"As much music as there is out there now, the older I get the luckier I feel that anyone is listening at all," the 36-year-old singer said in a recent phone interview from the Echo Lab recording studio in Argyle.
But the adoration makes sense when you consider Johnson's musical output. In addition to 10 Centro-matic albums and two solo records, his band has shown its countrified side on a few releases under the name South San Gabriel.
Next up is a double CD in April that is one side Centro, one side South San Gabriel. Dubbed Dual Hawks, it captures the two extremes of Johnson's songwriting – fast-and-loose rock, and moody, orchestral country.
Johnson and his bandmates perform this weekend at the Granada. Here's more. Hunter Hauk Q: You're done with Dual Hawks, so what have you been working on in Argyle?
A: Workin' on the next record. It's a collaborative project – something kind of different. It's neither Centro-matic nor South San Gabriel. But I don't want to reveal too much because we haven't finished everything yet and made all the decisions on how we want it to be. So I hate to be so secretive, but it's kind of a secret. [Laughs]. But it is a collaboration with one of my all-time favorite songwriters. Q: With new projects, do you work with time constraints, or do you let things happen naturally?
A: More the latter, lately, than the former. Early on I was anxious to hurry up, get things out and get on tour. Now ... I don't mind letting it kind of simmer for a while and be careful with our song selections and how we present records. If it takes a little more time to do it correctly in a way that we won't have regrets, than all the better. I'm getting a little older, I guess.
Q: What has changed for you since the last couple of CDs from Centro and South San Gabriel came out?
A: It's changed in regard to nonrelated projects. I've been working on a couple of films over the last year and a half. Small roles. I'm not an actor or anything, but I'm friends with people up in Illinois who have their own production company, and we have a real good time getting together and making these movies. Been messin' around in that world a bit. I've been painting a lot more, and writing a little fiction as well. Just exploring some new creative territory that I'm not altogether sure I'm good at, but it gives me something to get nervous about, which is good.
Q: Will you preview the new double CD's material at the Granada?
A: Yeah. I think so. That's definitely the idea. I've just been sitting down and working on some of the songs, but the idea is to play a few of those new songs from Centro-matic and South San Gabriel.
Q: Fort Recovery and The Carlton Chronicles were such complete works, thematically. What gave you the idea of a split release between the two variations of the band?
A: That idea was proposed by Mark Hedman, our bass and guitar player. We have definitely had the idea of a double album for some time. Fort Recovery was originally conceived to be a double album, but we wound up not doing that. We talked ourselves out of it at the last minute, but we came away from that experience knowing that we eventually wanted to do a double. We figured once we were done with all the recordings in the Centro-matic and South San Gabriel sessions last year, that it was time for an unconventional but also fan-friendly release. We've done the cycle of Centro record, South San Gabriel record, solo release for a few years now, to where I think we collectively felt like it was time to do something a little bit punk rock. You've got to keep yourselves excited and enthused about how you put out records.
Q: Do you feel like there are common themes that draw the two discs together?
A: I think it's more collections of songs that fit well together. Both records fit together in that it shows a lot of what each band is capable of at this point – the South San Gabriel side being much more orchestrated, and we took a lot more time to write it. It's a lot more sprawling and more involved. There's just a lot of instruments and people involved. Whereas the Centro-matic side ... the majority of it was tracked in one week. The majority of it was done in the studio and recorded the day the songs were written. Just a lot more spontaneous – just get in there and go for it and capture everything in raw, very unbridled form. It's a fairly raucous recording. Q: How has having die-hard, loyal North Texas fans showing up every time changed your perspective as an artist?
A: That will always be far more important to me than a store-bought audience. And by that, I mean some bands have a lot of things taken care of so that the audience is an automatic thing that's put in place. I feel like through our perseverance and our work, we've made some devoted fans, and it's only right that since they've been so good to us that we be good back to them. It's not something you take for granted. Centro-matic/ South San Gabriel perform Saturday at 9 p.m. at the Granada Theater, with opening act Robert Gomez. 3524 Greenville Ave. $10. 214-824-9933.
To hear some new music, visit myspace.com/ centromatic and myspace.com/ southsangabriel.
